Prayer is one of the most integral disciplines of the Christian life. It’s the practice of humbly approaching the throne of God, communing with our Heavenly Father, praising Him for His goodness, and petitioning Him to provide for our needs and the needs of those around us. We all know how important it is for us, as believers, to pray and to pray often. However, we’re not always that good at it.

Many times, we’ll sit or kneel in a humble posture before our mighty God, ready to bring our prayers and petitions before Him, but we simply can’t think of what to pray for. There are also times when what we pray for seems rather frivolous in the grand scheme of things (I know I’m not the only one who’s prayed for good days, restful nights, and to have success with college exams and work projects).

What is the secret to praying well? Truth be told, it’s not that big of a secret. Jesus clearly laid out how His followers ought to pray and what they should pray for during His famous Sermon on the Mount, and the prayer example He gave has since been dubbed “The Lord’s Prayer.” In Kevin DeYoung’s latest book of the same name, he explores this prayer and explains how Christians can utilize it in their own prayer time.